1 00:00:07,760 --> 00:00:10,200 Summer, 1588... 2 00:00:12,280 --> 00:00:14,720 England was under attack 3 00:00:14,720 --> 00:00:17,440 from the most powerful naval force on earth. 4 00:00:17,440 --> 00:00:19,040 Our mission 5 00:00:19,040 --> 00:00:21,120 is a sacred one. 6 00:00:22,200 --> 00:00:25,600 Philip II, the Catholic King of Spain, 7 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:27,200 had sent a mighty Armada 8 00:00:27,200 --> 00:00:30,120 to conquer Protestant England... 9 00:00:31,360 --> 00:00:33,880 ..and take the crown of Queen Elizabeth. 10 00:00:35,840 --> 00:00:38,200 This was a war fought in the name of religion - 11 00:00:38,200 --> 00:00:42,160 Catholics versus Protestants - but it was also a war of power 12 00:00:42,160 --> 00:00:44,480 and politics and, for the two great monarchs 13 00:00:44,480 --> 00:00:47,840 who started the whole thing off, it was deeply personal - 14 00:00:47,840 --> 00:00:51,520 the result of 30 years of increasing bitterness. 15 00:00:55,080 --> 00:00:58,040 'Now, to understand this defining moment in history, 16 00:00:58,040 --> 00:01:00,640 'I'm sailing the waters I love...' 17 00:01:00,640 --> 00:01:02,880 There you go. Look at that! 18 00:01:02,880 --> 00:01:05,840 '..following the course of the English Navy, 19 00:01:05,840 --> 00:01:08,640 'as they fought the Spanish Armada in the Channel.' 20 00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:12,080 There's now a howling gale - similar conditions 21 00:01:12,080 --> 00:01:14,600 to the ones that Drake and the fleet faced. 22 00:01:15,560 --> 00:01:19,240 'While access to unique, eye-witness accounts...' 23 00:01:19,240 --> 00:01:22,000 This is one of the most remarkable letters I have ever seen. 24 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:26,000 '..will take us, for the very first time, inside the minds 25 00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:28,160 'of the commanders themselves...' 26 00:01:28,160 --> 00:01:30,720 Clearly, they're setting a trap here. 27 00:01:30,720 --> 00:01:35,960 '..and offer unprecedented insight into the corridors of power... 28 00:01:35,960 --> 00:01:37,200 '..in England 29 00:01:37,200 --> 00:01:39,680 'and Spain...' 30 00:01:39,680 --> 00:01:41,520 This is war, sir. Orders. 31 00:01:43,440 --> 00:01:46,520 '..allowing us to bring to life 32 00:01:46,520 --> 00:01:49,160 '12 days in the summer of 1588...' 33 00:01:49,160 --> 00:01:50,840 Fire! 34 00:01:52,480 --> 00:01:55,320 '..when England's very survival 35 00:01:55,320 --> 00:01:58,000 'hung in the balance.' 36 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:00,120 Army and Navy together - 37 00:02:00,120 --> 00:02:02,440 their might would be unstoppable. 38 00:02:21,520 --> 00:02:23,360 On Monday, 1st August, 1588, 39 00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:26,160 the Spanish Armada was here, 40 00:02:26,160 --> 00:02:28,840 heading east, along the coast of Dorset. 41 00:02:28,840 --> 00:02:31,840 Of its original 125 ships, 42 00:02:31,840 --> 00:02:34,520 only two had fallen into English hands. 43 00:02:34,520 --> 00:02:36,920 But the rest remained intact, 44 00:02:36,920 --> 00:02:39,920 sailing towards England's great southern ports 45 00:02:39,920 --> 00:02:41,280 and London itself. 46 00:02:44,800 --> 00:02:49,040 The Armada had left Spain ten days earlier. 47 00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:51,960 125 ships... 48 00:02:54,360 --> 00:02:56,840 ..carrying 23,000 men. 49 00:03:01,040 --> 00:03:04,720 More than just an invasion, this was a religious crusade... 50 00:03:06,520 --> 00:03:08,840 ..sent to crush a heretic nation. 51 00:03:11,280 --> 00:03:12,840 When it arrived in the Channel, 52 00:03:12,840 --> 00:03:17,280 the English navy was unprepared and tide-bound in Plymouth harbour. 53 00:03:18,320 --> 00:03:19,520 But the Armada missed 54 00:03:19,520 --> 00:03:22,160 the opportunity for a decisive early strike. 55 00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:28,680 The two forces had finally clashed the next day. 56 00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:36,800 And despite losing two ships, 57 00:03:36,800 --> 00:03:40,320 the mighty Spanish force sailed on, 58 00:03:40,320 --> 00:03:42,480 its progress unchecked. 59 00:03:58,640 --> 00:04:03,360 ECHOING: I acknowledge that, without thee, oh, my King, 60 00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:08,920 my throne is unstable, my seat unsafe, my kingdom tottering, 61 00:04:08,920 --> 00:04:11,720 my life uncertain. 62 00:04:16,640 --> 00:04:20,920 Queen Elizabeth's life was in immediate danger. 63 00:04:20,920 --> 00:04:24,680 54 years old, unmarried and without an heir, 64 00:04:24,680 --> 00:04:27,880 she was plagued by nightmares. 65 00:04:27,880 --> 00:04:33,320 I was in a dark cell, imprisoned in my own Tower. 66 00:04:33,320 --> 00:04:35,240 Don't fret. 67 00:04:35,240 --> 00:04:39,800 'Elizabeth seems to be in a quite a tremulous state. 68 00:04:39,800 --> 00:04:41,720 'She's having trouble sleeping,' 69 00:04:41,720 --> 00:04:48,000 she's afflicted with night terrors. She has her most trusted lady, 70 00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:51,280 Blanche Parry, sleep in the same bed as her. 71 00:04:51,280 --> 00:04:53,440 I dread the darkness. 72 00:04:53,440 --> 00:04:56,120 Just a dream. 73 00:04:56,120 --> 00:04:59,600 It felt so real, 74 00:04:59,600 --> 00:05:03,280 as if I have a demoness in my soul. 75 00:05:03,280 --> 00:05:05,720 The longer the Armada was in the Channel, 76 00:05:05,720 --> 00:05:09,960 the greater the threat to Elizabeth. And her future was pretty bleak. 77 00:05:09,960 --> 00:05:12,280 If the Spanish could land and overrun England, 78 00:05:12,280 --> 00:05:14,080 then she would either be captured 79 00:05:14,080 --> 00:05:16,640 or she would be killed on the spot. 80 00:05:16,640 --> 00:05:19,280 What shall we do, Blanche? 81 00:05:25,560 --> 00:05:29,840 Elizabeth's fate rested with her naval commanders 82 00:05:29,840 --> 00:05:32,920 the aristocratic Lord High Admiral, Charles Howard... 83 00:05:32,920 --> 00:05:35,520 - Are we ready? - We're patching up. 84 00:05:35,520 --> 00:05:37,720 ..and his second-in-command, 85 00:05:37,720 --> 00:05:40,160 the flamboyant explorer 86 00:05:40,160 --> 00:05:42,480 and pirate, Sir Francis Drake. 87 00:05:42,480 --> 00:05:45,640 My ships will be ready. Won't they, men? 88 00:05:45,640 --> 00:05:47,480 ALL: Aye! 89 00:05:47,480 --> 00:05:51,080 But on Monday, 1st August, Howard knew that his forces 90 00:05:51,080 --> 00:05:53,760 faced an almost impossible task. 91 00:05:53,760 --> 00:05:56,200 Come on, men! Hurry! 92 00:05:58,560 --> 00:06:00,160 The Navy was scattered 93 00:06:00,160 --> 00:06:02,760 and trailing far behind the Spanish fleet. 94 00:06:05,440 --> 00:06:07,720 And it was all because of Howard's maverick deputy, 95 00:06:07,720 --> 00:06:09,920 Drake himself. 96 00:06:11,160 --> 00:06:12,280 Are we happy? 97 00:06:12,280 --> 00:06:13,560 ALL: Aye! 98 00:06:15,200 --> 00:06:17,680 It was all Sir Francis Drake's fault. 99 00:06:17,680 --> 00:06:20,800 The night before, Howard had given him instructions 100 00:06:20,800 --> 00:06:24,520 to lead the English fleet, place a light on his stern, 101 00:06:24,520 --> 00:06:26,880 on the back of his ship, and everyone else could follow, 102 00:06:26,880 --> 00:06:30,200 but Drake had snuffed out the light when he saw the opportunity to go 103 00:06:30,200 --> 00:06:34,720 and snap up a damaged, abandoned Spanish ship, called the Rosario. 104 00:06:34,720 --> 00:06:36,560 This was classic Drake behaviour - 105 00:06:36,560 --> 00:06:39,800 piratical, looking to enrich himself, 106 00:06:39,800 --> 00:06:42,520 and he was happy to let the English fleet just sail on blind 107 00:06:42,520 --> 00:06:45,800 through the night but, of course, above all, Drake was lucky. 108 00:06:45,800 --> 00:06:49,040 And what Drake found on that ship was invaluable. 109 00:06:54,960 --> 00:06:58,640 Operating alone, the previous night, Drake had boarded the Spanish 110 00:06:58,640 --> 00:07:01,320 Rosario and began to plunder its treasure. 111 00:07:04,520 --> 00:07:07,520 He'd found 50,000 golden ducats - 112 00:07:07,520 --> 00:07:10,480 about £2.5 million in today's money. 113 00:07:10,480 --> 00:07:12,680 Leave something for England 114 00:07:12,680 --> 00:07:15,920 or Her Majesty's blind eye will regain its sight very quickly. 115 00:07:15,920 --> 00:07:20,440 You, you carry enough to sink like an anchor, fool. 116 00:07:20,440 --> 00:07:22,120 LAUGHTER 117 00:07:22,120 --> 00:07:25,840 Remember, greed will buy you a short life. 118 00:07:25,840 --> 00:07:29,120 You must play the long game, to become rich. 119 00:07:30,640 --> 00:07:32,920 Drake also knew that, on board the Rosario, 120 00:07:32,920 --> 00:07:35,520 there was something even more valuable... 121 00:07:36,560 --> 00:07:39,800 Come on! Take the dark cargo, too! 122 00:07:39,800 --> 00:07:43,080 ..a Spanish hoard of ammunition and gunpowder. 123 00:07:45,360 --> 00:07:47,960 The English fleet was already running low 124 00:07:47,960 --> 00:07:50,840 on powder and shot. There was a simple reason for that - 125 00:07:50,840 --> 00:07:53,600 Elizabeth's government was simply too broke 126 00:07:53,600 --> 00:07:56,480 to afford to properly fit out the navy. 127 00:07:56,480 --> 00:07:59,760 So, the big supply of gunpowder was an absolute godsend, 128 00:07:59,760 --> 00:08:02,080 but the Rosario had yet another gift. 129 00:08:02,080 --> 00:08:04,240 This time, it was one of intelligence. 130 00:08:04,240 --> 00:08:07,960 Drake had a cursory scan around the gun deck of the Rosario 131 00:08:07,960 --> 00:08:11,440 and he immediately twigged there was something very different 132 00:08:11,440 --> 00:08:13,080 about the Spanish cannon. 133 00:08:17,920 --> 00:08:19,880 This is the kind of gun 134 00:08:19,880 --> 00:08:22,600 that Drake found on the Rosario. 135 00:08:22,600 --> 00:08:26,960 When cannon first went to sea, they were really land cannon and so, 136 00:08:26,960 --> 00:08:30,520 if you are moving guns on land, you have spoked wheels, 137 00:08:30,520 --> 00:08:36,200 but the carriage is not really convenient on a cramped gun deck. 138 00:08:36,200 --> 00:08:38,280 You're going to run into the wheels. 139 00:08:38,280 --> 00:08:42,520 It's got a great long trail coming back here. 140 00:08:42,520 --> 00:08:44,800 It's really a monster on the gun deck. 141 00:08:45,880 --> 00:08:49,640 The English had come up with something completely different. 142 00:08:49,640 --> 00:08:53,880 It couldn't look more different and it couldn't behave in a more 143 00:08:53,880 --> 00:08:56,560 different way. You had a much lower carriage. 144 00:08:56,560 --> 00:09:00,960 It's on a massive bed that supports it, that's going right underneath. 145 00:09:00,960 --> 00:09:05,520 It was easy to change the aim, it's easy to reload. 146 00:09:05,520 --> 00:09:10,640 The English gun carriage being more compact helped the English crews 147 00:09:10,640 --> 00:09:12,680 achieve a greater rate of fire 148 00:09:12,680 --> 00:09:15,560 than the Spanish, with their cumbersome carriages. 149 00:09:20,440 --> 00:09:24,840 Drake's discovery on the Rosario offered a glimmer of hope. 150 00:09:24,840 --> 00:09:26,680 Go, fire! 151 00:09:28,480 --> 00:09:31,960 In fact, the rate of fire of the English cannons 152 00:09:31,960 --> 00:09:35,400 was up to five times that of the Spaniards'. 153 00:09:35,400 --> 00:09:36,600 Remember, speed! 154 00:09:36,600 --> 00:09:41,480 But no-one knew if even that would be enough in the battles ahead 155 00:09:41,480 --> 00:09:44,640 against the mightiest fleet on Earth. 156 00:09:45,880 --> 00:09:47,400 Fire! 157 00:09:51,880 --> 00:09:55,040 CHORAL SINGING 158 00:09:59,000 --> 00:10:02,560 The Armada was the plan of King Philip II of Spain... 159 00:10:04,840 --> 00:10:07,280 ..the most powerful man on the planet - 160 00:10:07,280 --> 00:10:09,480 an obsessive workaholic 161 00:10:09,480 --> 00:10:11,360 and religious fanatic. 162 00:10:13,560 --> 00:10:16,320 He's fairly simply dressed. Always the same, 163 00:10:16,320 --> 00:10:19,440 always in black, The only ornament he has on 164 00:10:19,440 --> 00:10:21,440 is the Order of the Golden Fleece... 165 00:10:22,880 --> 00:10:26,040 ..the golden dead sheep hanging round his neck. 166 00:10:26,040 --> 00:10:28,520 Dignity, through understatement. 167 00:10:28,520 --> 00:10:32,760 He lives a life which you and I would think was pretty boring. 168 00:10:32,760 --> 00:10:34,640 He spends many hours at prayer, 169 00:10:34,640 --> 00:10:37,480 he spends the rest of his time, primarily, working. 170 00:10:37,480 --> 00:10:41,680 A pretty odd life, but then, Philip is a pretty odd man. 171 00:10:43,760 --> 00:10:46,440 Philip was a man of the shadows. 172 00:10:46,440 --> 00:10:50,880 He hardly spoke to anyone and, everything he did, 173 00:10:50,880 --> 00:10:54,840 he noted down. When pieces of paper 174 00:10:54,840 --> 00:10:59,520 came in from the people who worked outside his room, he would scribble 175 00:10:59,520 --> 00:11:01,400 notations in the margins 176 00:11:01,400 --> 00:11:04,280 or he'd write them orders. 177 00:11:05,600 --> 00:11:08,640 He had an empire to run and an empire runs, 178 00:11:08,640 --> 00:11:11,920 as far as he was concerned, on detail. 179 00:11:11,920 --> 00:11:15,640 It was a lonely existence, but he still felt he had the world 180 00:11:15,640 --> 00:11:17,240 at his fingertips. 181 00:11:18,400 --> 00:11:20,880 Canarias... Madeira... 182 00:11:20,880 --> 00:11:25,120 For Philip, the conquest of England was the will of God, 183 00:11:25,120 --> 00:11:30,120 to preserve a safe, ordered and, most importantly, 184 00:11:30,120 --> 00:11:32,240 Catholic world. 185 00:11:38,840 --> 00:11:40,880 The success of Philip's Armada 186 00:11:40,880 --> 00:11:44,840 depended on its inexperienced commander, 187 00:11:44,840 --> 00:11:47,440 the 7th Duke of Medina Sidonia... 188 00:11:47,440 --> 00:11:52,040 ..and on Spain's most gifted admiral, 189 00:11:52,040 --> 00:11:54,360 Juan Martinez de Recalde. 190 00:12:01,680 --> 00:12:05,400 But there was already simmering tension between the two. 191 00:12:07,560 --> 00:12:09,080 Just three days earlier, 192 00:12:09,080 --> 00:12:12,960 it had been Recalde's plan to attack the English in Plymouth. 193 00:12:12,960 --> 00:12:15,280 There is no time to be wasted. 194 00:12:15,280 --> 00:12:18,480 It is better to destroy the serpent in its egg. 195 00:12:18,480 --> 00:12:20,640 I propose we attack Plymouth. 196 00:12:20,640 --> 00:12:23,920 But Medina Sidonia had overruled him. 197 00:12:23,920 --> 00:12:27,640 We must not be distracted from our true and pious course, 198 00:12:27,640 --> 00:12:30,040 as laid down by the King. 199 00:12:30,040 --> 00:12:35,920 The King is not here and situations change in battle all the time. 200 00:12:35,920 --> 00:12:37,840 Recalde, mind your tongue! 201 00:12:39,760 --> 00:12:42,840 Recalde was beginning to doubt whether Medina Sidonia 202 00:12:42,840 --> 00:12:44,560 was the right man for the job... 203 00:12:47,800 --> 00:12:50,960 ..and a new discovery suggests he may have been right. 204 00:12:56,200 --> 00:12:57,880 Professor Geoffrey Parker 205 00:12:57,880 --> 00:13:01,200 has been studying the world of Philip II of Spain 206 00:13:01,200 --> 00:13:03,080 for over 50 years. 207 00:13:04,880 --> 00:13:08,160 At the Hispanic Society of America, in New York, he recently unearthed 208 00:13:08,160 --> 00:13:12,000 a huge archive of papers from the Spanish court. 209 00:13:15,000 --> 00:13:16,560 I spent eight weeks 210 00:13:16,560 --> 00:13:20,040 going through every single document, 100 a day, figuring out 211 00:13:20,040 --> 00:13:22,240 who it was from, who it was to, 212 00:13:22,240 --> 00:13:27,640 what it was about. And some of them were absolutely sensational. 213 00:13:29,360 --> 00:13:32,840 Within them were extraordinary new revelations 214 00:13:32,840 --> 00:13:35,720 about the aristocratic leader of the Spanish fleet, 215 00:13:35,720 --> 00:13:39,320 the Duke of Medina Sidonia, who, it turns out, 216 00:13:39,320 --> 00:13:42,120 never wanted the job in the first place. 217 00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:46,680 This is one of the most remarkable letters I have ever seen. 218 00:13:46,680 --> 00:13:50,600 It's a letter in which Medina Sidonia says to the king, 219 00:13:50,600 --> 00:13:52,520 "Please don't do this to me." 220 00:13:52,520 --> 00:13:57,240 Here, he is giving reasons why he does not want to go on the Armada. 221 00:13:57,240 --> 00:13:59,680 He says, "The sea is not good to me. 222 00:14:01,200 --> 00:14:04,000 "I have no experience of naval warfare." 223 00:14:04,000 --> 00:14:07,160 "I have never been to sea. Don't send me." 224 00:14:07,160 --> 00:14:09,040 Take it away. Take it away! 225 00:14:09,040 --> 00:14:12,680 The 7th Duke of Medina Sidonia is one of the richest men in Spain, 226 00:14:12,680 --> 00:14:14,360 if not in the western world. 227 00:14:14,360 --> 00:14:18,160 And then, he says, "If you send me, remember I'm poor." 228 00:14:18,160 --> 00:14:20,120 Right at the end he says, "Estoy muy pobre." 229 00:14:20,120 --> 00:14:22,680 "I'm very poor," The richest man in Spain. 230 00:14:22,680 --> 00:14:28,160 "And I've got four children who live in great hunger" - "tienen hambre". 231 00:14:28,160 --> 00:14:32,520 "So, if I go, I have some things I want from you, Your Majesty. 232 00:14:32,520 --> 00:14:35,080 "Humildemente. Humildemente supplico." 233 00:14:35,080 --> 00:14:37,760 "I humbly ask that you give them some reward, 234 00:14:37,760 --> 00:14:40,280 "before I sail, please." 235 00:14:42,680 --> 00:14:46,280 So, what we take away here is he really doesn't want to go to sea 236 00:14:46,280 --> 00:14:49,480 and he's prepared to resort to blackmailing the king, 237 00:14:49,480 --> 00:14:51,120 to try and get out of it. 238 00:14:53,280 --> 00:14:57,080 The truth is that the man who'd been given command over the most powerful 239 00:14:57,080 --> 00:15:00,920 naval force on Earth had hardly ever been to sea before. 240 00:15:00,920 --> 00:15:04,040 He had certainly never been in a sea battle and he did not want 241 00:15:04,040 --> 00:15:08,000 to be there. Medina Sidonia had been given explicit instructions 242 00:15:08,000 --> 00:15:11,520 by King Philip of Spain and he was sticking to them, so far, 243 00:15:11,520 --> 00:15:15,800 but he was beginning to realise that there was a fatal flaw in them. 244 00:15:23,120 --> 00:15:26,640 The Spanish Admiral might not have been a military man, 245 00:15:26,640 --> 00:15:30,040 but even he was beginning to realise that Philip's orders, 246 00:15:30,040 --> 00:15:34,880 which seemed so brilliant on paper, did not look quite as clever 247 00:15:34,880 --> 00:15:36,920 on the hostile seas of the Channel. 248 00:15:41,120 --> 00:15:44,400 The Armada is just one half of Philip's master plan. 249 00:15:44,400 --> 00:15:47,000 It's an enormous fleet, in a tight crescent formation 250 00:15:47,000 --> 00:15:48,880 that's still over two miles wide. 251 00:15:48,880 --> 00:15:51,960 Up here, in the Spanish-controlled Netherlands, 252 00:15:51,960 --> 00:15:54,760 we have the Duke of Parma, with an army 27,000-strong. 253 00:15:54,760 --> 00:15:58,160 The idea is to get these two to "join hands" 254 00:15:58,160 --> 00:16:02,560 and to land at Margate, in Kent, and, then, to march on London. 255 00:16:02,560 --> 00:16:06,400 Joining hands is easier said than done, of course, isn't it? 256 00:16:06,400 --> 00:16:07,720 Two factors can get in the way. 257 00:16:07,720 --> 00:16:10,320 One - the English. They're not going to stay inactive. 258 00:16:10,320 --> 00:16:12,320 They'll continue to harry the Spanish fleet, 259 00:16:12,320 --> 00:16:14,440 hopefully, push them past the Duke Parma, 260 00:16:14,440 --> 00:16:17,200 but the other problem that the Spanish have got is that no-one - 261 00:16:17,200 --> 00:16:20,680 not the Duke of Parma in Flanders, nor the Duke of Medina Sidonia 262 00:16:20,680 --> 00:16:24,280 in the Armada itself - know exactly how they're going to join hands. 263 00:16:30,040 --> 00:16:33,440 We know from the archives that Medina Sidonia was repeatedly 264 00:16:33,440 --> 00:16:37,280 writing to the Spanish General, the Duke of Parma, 265 00:16:37,280 --> 00:16:41,120 in an attempt to keep him updated about the Armada's progress, 266 00:16:41,120 --> 00:16:44,600 but he heard nothing in return. 267 00:16:44,600 --> 00:16:48,000 The letters just weren't getting through. 268 00:16:48,000 --> 00:16:51,040 In this era of radio and satellite communications, 269 00:16:51,040 --> 00:16:54,880 it's very, very hard for us to understand just how difficult it was 270 00:16:54,880 --> 00:16:58,120 to communicate with, even, ships in the same fleet as you, 271 00:16:58,120 --> 00:17:02,400 let alone with an allied army miles away, on land. 272 00:17:02,400 --> 00:17:07,000 And yet, Philip's plan demanded that the Spanish do exactly that. 273 00:17:07,000 --> 00:17:10,480 The only way that Medina Sidonia could get a message through 274 00:17:10,480 --> 00:17:13,400 to the army of Parma was by sending a small, fast ship 275 00:17:13,400 --> 00:17:16,520 right up the Channel here, but this Channel was controlled 276 00:17:16,520 --> 00:17:18,280 by Dutch and English ships. 277 00:17:18,280 --> 00:17:20,680 It would be very hard for that message to get through. 278 00:17:20,680 --> 00:17:24,040 And if it did get through and Parma wanted to send a message back, 279 00:17:24,040 --> 00:17:25,720 then, where does he send it to? 280 00:17:25,720 --> 00:17:29,480 The 123 ships of the Spanish Armada was a moving address, 281 00:17:29,480 --> 00:17:32,800 out here somewhere in the vastness of the Channel. 282 00:17:34,760 --> 00:17:38,400 Together, the two halves of Philip's mighty invasion plan 283 00:17:38,400 --> 00:17:42,720 would be unstoppable. But right now, both army and navy 284 00:17:42,720 --> 00:17:47,840 were in the dark, as to where, when, or even how, 285 00:17:47,840 --> 00:17:49,800 they were to join forces. 286 00:17:52,080 --> 00:17:57,160 The English, though, were obsessed by a different threat. 287 00:17:57,160 --> 00:18:01,600 They thought that the Armada wanted to make land and capture 288 00:18:01,600 --> 00:18:04,160 one of England's great southern ports. 289 00:18:04,160 --> 00:18:06,720 The Armada was well ahead of the English fleet, 290 00:18:06,720 --> 00:18:10,360 which was a big problem, because in front of the Spanish Armada lay 291 00:18:10,360 --> 00:18:13,480 a couple of really good, deep-water harbours. 292 00:18:13,480 --> 00:18:16,000 There was Weymouth, behind Portland Bill, 293 00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:19,120 and then there was the Solent, tucked in behind the Isle of Wight. 294 00:18:19,120 --> 00:18:22,080 The English knew they had to stop the Spanish from capturing 295 00:18:22,080 --> 00:18:24,800 these harbours, because that would give them the option 296 00:18:24,800 --> 00:18:28,200 of launching an invasion from there. So, the English raced to catch up. 297 00:18:31,680 --> 00:18:35,400 Drake's raid on the Rosario might have cost the English time... 298 00:18:36,840 --> 00:18:39,080 ..but during the morning of the 1st of August, 299 00:18:39,080 --> 00:18:40,960 they were able to gain ground... 300 00:18:42,680 --> 00:18:44,840 ..because in the late 16th century, 301 00:18:44,840 --> 00:18:48,000 the cutting edge of naval design lay not with Spain... 302 00:18:50,600 --> 00:18:52,040 ..but with England. 303 00:18:52,960 --> 00:18:54,760 The main differences between 304 00:18:54,760 --> 00:18:57,480 the Spanish galleon and the English galleon, 305 00:18:57,480 --> 00:19:00,200 as you can see here, is that the Spanish galleon is much higher in 306 00:19:00,200 --> 00:19:04,000 the bow and stern, with the castles. It's wider in the beam... 307 00:19:05,160 --> 00:19:09,160 ..whereas the English, race-built galleons are much lower 308 00:19:09,160 --> 00:19:11,680 in the water. It's longer, it's narrower. 309 00:19:11,680 --> 00:19:15,760 And the castles at the bow and the stern are much lower, as well. 310 00:19:15,760 --> 00:19:19,680 This made the English galleon much faster to sail 311 00:19:19,680 --> 00:19:21,160 and more manoeuvrable. 312 00:19:22,720 --> 00:19:25,880 Spanish warships were of a design that really dates back 313 00:19:25,880 --> 00:19:27,560 hundreds of years. 314 00:19:27,560 --> 00:19:30,880 And they were loaded with soldiers. The whole aim was to close 315 00:19:30,880 --> 00:19:32,120 with the enemy, 316 00:19:32,120 --> 00:19:36,040 throw grapples, pull them alongside and then swarm aboard 317 00:19:36,040 --> 00:19:38,000 and wipe them out and win the battle that way. 318 00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:40,160 The English way was entirely different. 319 00:19:40,160 --> 00:19:43,240 Their whole aim was to stand off from the Spanish fleet 320 00:19:43,240 --> 00:19:45,680 and blast it to pieces with their cannons. 321 00:19:47,360 --> 00:19:52,320 In terms of how the Armada was going to be battling up the Channel, 322 00:19:52,320 --> 00:19:53,800 we're talking here about 323 00:19:53,800 --> 00:19:57,440 an elderly heavyweight boxer 324 00:19:57,440 --> 00:20:02,720 being confronted by a nimble, agile opponent darting around him. 325 00:20:04,560 --> 00:20:08,600 With their faster ships, the English navy chased down the Spanish. 326 00:20:11,720 --> 00:20:15,040 As evening fell, the Armada had sailed a full 100 miles 327 00:20:15,040 --> 00:20:18,400 from Plymouth and seemed to the English to be bearing down 328 00:20:18,400 --> 00:20:19,440 on Weymouth. 329 00:20:21,200 --> 00:20:24,320 If the Spanish made land there, it could spell the end 330 00:20:24,320 --> 00:20:26,960 of Tudor England and the realisation 331 00:20:26,960 --> 00:20:29,560 of Philip's Catholic dream. 332 00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:49,040 BIRDSONG 333 00:20:49,040 --> 00:20:52,840 BELLS CHIME 334 00:20:54,200 --> 00:20:57,920 Every day, Elizabeth's routine remained the same. 335 00:20:59,400 --> 00:21:02,720 Now that battle had been engaged, she was a helpless observer 336 00:21:02,720 --> 00:21:05,560 of the events unfolding in the Channel. 337 00:21:07,040 --> 00:21:08,600 The waging of war 338 00:21:08,600 --> 00:21:13,360 is essentially a male preserve and we can see this from a letter, 339 00:21:13,360 --> 00:21:17,280 where Elizabeth is giving charge 340 00:21:17,280 --> 00:21:20,960 to her Admiral, Howard. And she's saying that the best thing to do 341 00:21:20,960 --> 00:21:22,800 would, essentially, 342 00:21:22,800 --> 00:21:26,880 be to leave decisions to the discretion of Howard, himself. 343 00:21:28,880 --> 00:21:31,400 But appearances had to be maintained. 344 00:21:31,400 --> 00:21:35,920 Every morning, she was painstakingly transformed, 345 00:21:35,920 --> 00:21:38,840 from an ailing and ageing woman, 346 00:21:38,840 --> 00:21:42,360 to a vibrant and powerful queen. 347 00:21:44,720 --> 00:21:47,840 Now that the Armada was in the Channel, 348 00:21:47,840 --> 00:21:50,200 it was more important than ever for Elizabeth 349 00:21:50,200 --> 00:21:55,440 to present a youthful, vital, regal face to the country, 350 00:21:55,440 --> 00:21:59,360 so that meant these endless, laborious make-up sessions 351 00:21:59,360 --> 00:22:01,840 and it meant the power dressing. 352 00:22:03,280 --> 00:22:05,800 Naval strategy might have been left to the men, 353 00:22:05,800 --> 00:22:10,440 but Elizabeth was the living embodiment of England 354 00:22:10,440 --> 00:22:13,560 and God's representative on Earth. 355 00:22:13,560 --> 00:22:14,880 Tighter. 356 00:22:14,880 --> 00:22:16,600 Elizabeth, of course, 357 00:22:16,600 --> 00:22:21,080 was famous for her gowns, famous for the spectacle and splendour 358 00:22:21,080 --> 00:22:23,880 of the Elizabethan court. That was important, to demonstrate 359 00:22:23,880 --> 00:22:29,120 - England's strength and stability. - And the whole point was that 360 00:22:29,120 --> 00:22:31,640 the monarch had to look the most magnificent, 361 00:22:31,640 --> 00:22:37,280 so Elizabeth had the finest silks and the widest ruffs 362 00:22:37,280 --> 00:22:39,200 and she had the most embroidery. 363 00:22:40,960 --> 00:22:43,120 And she had the most bling. 364 00:22:43,120 --> 00:22:46,480 She had rubies and sapphires and diamonds and pearls - 365 00:22:46,480 --> 00:22:49,520 a lot of pearls - because they symbolise virginity. 366 00:22:49,520 --> 00:22:52,120 She is the Virgin Queen, 367 00:22:52,120 --> 00:22:57,480 almost the Virgin Mary, here for her people to worship on Earth. 368 00:22:58,960 --> 00:23:03,000 Elizabeth had spent a lifetime using her femininity for the strength 369 00:23:03,000 --> 00:23:07,160 of England, playing off foreign royal suitors, 370 00:23:07,160 --> 00:23:10,680 while remaining firmly independent, 371 00:23:10,680 --> 00:23:14,640 but she knew those days were over, as a woman 372 00:23:14,640 --> 00:23:16,560 and as a queen. 373 00:23:20,200 --> 00:23:22,760 Who gave that to you? 374 00:23:22,760 --> 00:23:24,400 A friend, Your Majesty. 375 00:23:25,760 --> 00:23:26,800 A suitor? 376 00:23:28,440 --> 00:23:32,080 Don't ever keep me in the dark. 377 00:23:32,080 --> 00:23:34,040 You know I don't like secrets. 378 00:23:36,160 --> 00:23:38,520 Go and fetch the brooch with the half moon. 379 00:23:41,760 --> 00:23:45,400 Elizabeth is undoubtedly jealous of her ladies. 380 00:23:45,400 --> 00:23:49,000 They are younger, they're more beautiful and desirable. 381 00:23:49,000 --> 00:23:53,400 She knows that she is no longer the queen bee at court, 382 00:23:53,400 --> 00:23:56,600 the soul focus of her male courtiers' attentions. 383 00:23:56,600 --> 00:24:00,560 They are being drawn elsewhere and Elizabeth hates it. 384 00:24:00,560 --> 00:24:07,560 Is it too much to ask that my ladies-in-waiting remain virgins? 385 00:24:07,560 --> 00:24:09,160 Green-eyed monster. 386 00:24:09,160 --> 00:24:12,440 This would have fed Elizabeth's anxiety, because women like 387 00:24:12,440 --> 00:24:14,840 Bess Throckmorton, 388 00:24:14,840 --> 00:24:17,800 who were younger, were attractive, were vivacious, 389 00:24:17,800 --> 00:24:21,480 were charismatic. This would have unsettled Elizabeth, somewhat. 390 00:24:21,480 --> 00:24:24,480 In this time of crisis, 391 00:24:24,480 --> 00:24:26,800 Elizabeth had to remain strong... 392 00:24:27,840 --> 00:24:30,120 We shall prevail. 393 00:24:32,000 --> 00:24:35,600 I expect only good news. 394 00:24:35,600 --> 00:24:37,120 ..or, at the very least, 395 00:24:37,120 --> 00:24:39,520 appear so. 396 00:24:43,720 --> 00:24:45,040 Well? 397 00:24:45,040 --> 00:24:50,760 You're a force to be reckoned with, Your Majesty. 398 00:24:53,280 --> 00:24:56,960 Meanwhile, 150 miles to the south, 399 00:24:56,960 --> 00:25:00,480 the Spanish fleet was approaching the strategic port of Weymouth. 400 00:25:00,480 --> 00:25:04,800 With their faster ships, the English had caught up with them, 401 00:25:04,800 --> 00:25:07,480 believing that Weymouth was a target for invasion. 402 00:25:10,120 --> 00:25:13,600 Now, they prepared for the second battle of the Armada. 403 00:25:14,560 --> 00:25:18,040 On Tuesday, August 2nd, both fleets found themselves here, 404 00:25:18,040 --> 00:25:20,320 off the tip of Portland Bill, 405 00:25:20,320 --> 00:25:23,160 a very prominent landmark on the south coast of England. 406 00:25:23,160 --> 00:25:26,000 It's a headland that stretches down from the coast of Dorset 407 00:25:26,000 --> 00:25:29,280 and behind it is the excellent harbour of Weymouth. 408 00:25:29,280 --> 00:25:32,840 The English were particularly keen to stop the Spanish Armada 409 00:25:32,840 --> 00:25:34,560 going into Weymouth and going ashore. 410 00:25:34,560 --> 00:25:37,880 One of the English commanders made a decision that has puzzled 411 00:25:37,880 --> 00:25:41,080 historians ever since. His name was Martin Frobisher 412 00:25:41,080 --> 00:25:44,000 and he led his six ships, a small flotilla, 413 00:25:44,000 --> 00:25:48,040 in here, right up next to Portland Bill itself. 414 00:25:48,040 --> 00:25:51,880 It was almost as if he was inviting the Spanish to come and attack him. 415 00:25:57,520 --> 00:26:01,400 - Clearly, they're setting a trap here. - Well, you say it's a trap, 416 00:26:01,400 --> 00:26:03,480 but to us, it looks like you're stuck in the lee 417 00:26:03,480 --> 00:26:08,400 of Portland Bill. Whatever happens, the Spanish unleash their galleasses 418 00:26:08,400 --> 00:26:10,480 which is a squadron of hybrid fighting craft, 419 00:26:10,480 --> 00:26:12,800 perfect for this type of inshore work 420 00:26:12,800 --> 00:26:15,360 and they head towards Frobisher's squadron. 421 00:26:19,560 --> 00:26:22,440 But it seems that Frobisher, one of Howard's most experienced 422 00:26:22,440 --> 00:26:26,000 commanders, did indeed have a plan. 423 00:26:27,240 --> 00:26:29,920 Martin Frobisher knew these waters like nobody else 424 00:26:29,920 --> 00:26:34,280 and he knew that this is one of the most treacherous sections 425 00:26:34,280 --> 00:26:36,360 of coastline anywhere in the British Isles. 426 00:26:36,360 --> 00:26:38,960 And today, you can see why. 427 00:26:38,960 --> 00:26:42,320 We're just off something called the Portland Race, 428 00:26:42,320 --> 00:26:46,480 which he'd have known all about. We're in fairly calm water here, 429 00:26:46,480 --> 00:26:50,520 but just 50 metres off on our starboard side are these white caps, 430 00:26:50,520 --> 00:26:53,640 huge, standing waves. caused by the tidal flows. 431 00:26:53,640 --> 00:26:57,720 They race up and down the Channel. An absolute graveyard for ships. 432 00:26:57,720 --> 00:27:01,560 What it looks like Frobisher was doing was, he was in here, 433 00:27:01,560 --> 00:27:05,640 enticing the Spanish to attack. He knew they'd have to cross this Race, 434 00:27:05,640 --> 00:27:08,320 which could be devastating for them. 435 00:27:12,480 --> 00:27:13,600 The ruse worked. 436 00:27:13,600 --> 00:27:17,760 Four Spanish ships became trapped in the Race. 437 00:27:17,760 --> 00:27:21,120 What we see at this battle off Portland Bill 438 00:27:21,120 --> 00:27:24,720 is the English becoming increasingly confident. They knew these waters 439 00:27:24,720 --> 00:27:26,040 and the Spanish didn't. 440 00:27:26,040 --> 00:27:28,200 So, while, on the one hand, you have Frobisher, 441 00:27:28,200 --> 00:27:32,800 who is, in my opinion, luring the Spanish into the Portland Race, 442 00:27:32,800 --> 00:27:35,560 on the other wing, you've got Drake's squadron, 443 00:27:35,560 --> 00:27:39,680 attacking the seaborne wing of the Spanish. 444 00:27:39,680 --> 00:27:41,800 They're attacking on both sides. 445 00:27:46,680 --> 00:27:49,280 - Be sure that coin is fast! - Give fire! 446 00:27:54,360 --> 00:27:57,720 In the centre, Howard is charging straight for the middle 447 00:27:57,720 --> 00:28:01,760 of the Armada, going directly for the Spanish flagship. 448 00:28:01,760 --> 00:28:04,840 The English have re-armed themselves with all of the ammunition 449 00:28:04,840 --> 00:28:06,680 they've stolen from the Spanish Rosario. 450 00:28:06,680 --> 00:28:10,600 Talk about a self-inflicted wound. And the sheer amount of metal 451 00:28:10,600 --> 00:28:13,840 fired at the Spanish flagship, something like 12 tonnes 452 00:28:13,840 --> 00:28:15,280 of cast iron. 453 00:28:28,800 --> 00:28:33,240 Over the course of the afternoon, the English fired salvo upon salvo 454 00:28:33,240 --> 00:28:35,840 of cannonballs into the Armada. 455 00:28:37,720 --> 00:28:40,440 The Spanish, with their cumbersome land cannons, 456 00:28:40,440 --> 00:28:44,400 just couldn't compete with the intensity of the English onslaught. 457 00:28:47,680 --> 00:28:51,000 For the English, it had the desired effect, because after fire hours 458 00:28:51,000 --> 00:28:52,680 of ferocious and continuous combat, 459 00:28:52,680 --> 00:28:54,800 they had finally achieved their aim, 460 00:28:54,800 --> 00:28:59,920 to drive the Spanish past Weymouth and that allowed them to disengage. 461 00:29:03,480 --> 00:29:06,560 The Spanish watched the English speedily sailing back out to sea. 462 00:29:06,560 --> 00:29:10,560 One Spanish observer said it was as if "the Spanish were anchored, 463 00:29:10,560 --> 00:29:12,880 "while the English appeared to have wings to fly, 464 00:29:12,880 --> 00:29:14,720 "as and where they wished". 465 00:29:14,720 --> 00:29:17,440 Certainly, it looked like the English were combining 466 00:29:17,440 --> 00:29:21,080 their new technology and new tactics very effectively. 467 00:29:21,080 --> 00:29:23,640 By this stage, many of the Spanish commanders were rueing 468 00:29:23,640 --> 00:29:26,520 Medina Sidonia's decision not to bottle up and destroy 469 00:29:26,520 --> 00:29:29,600 the English fleet at Plymouth, just a few days before. 470 00:29:31,920 --> 00:29:33,520 But as evening fell, 471 00:29:33,520 --> 00:29:39,640 the Armada was still in its tight formation, virtually intact... 472 00:29:41,520 --> 00:29:43,920 ..and heading ever closer to fulfilling 473 00:29:43,920 --> 00:29:45,520 King Philip's master plan... 474 00:29:47,000 --> 00:29:50,000 ..to join forces with the Duke of Parma's huge army... 475 00:29:51,440 --> 00:29:53,600 ..before conquering England. 476 00:30:00,480 --> 00:30:02,200 CHURCH BELLS TOLL 477 00:30:07,760 --> 00:30:12,520 It was now nearly a week since the Armada had entered English waters. 478 00:30:13,920 --> 00:30:19,120 And 700 miles away in Spain, deep in the bowels of his palace, 479 00:30:19,120 --> 00:30:23,920 Philip spent another day occupied with the administration of his empire... 480 00:30:25,480 --> 00:30:28,920 ..and awaiting news of his great enterprise. 481 00:30:30,040 --> 00:30:33,680 He follows his usual regimen - praying and working. 482 00:30:33,680 --> 00:30:36,800 He does have the sense to know that even 483 00:30:36,800 --> 00:30:38,680 he cannot micromanage the Armada now. 484 00:30:40,680 --> 00:30:42,920 He sometimes hears rumours of success, 485 00:30:42,920 --> 00:30:45,000 he sometimes hears rumours of failure, 486 00:30:45,000 --> 00:30:48,520 and he's sensible enough to know, "We know nothing, so pray some more 487 00:30:48,520 --> 00:30:52,160 "and hope for good convincing certified news of the outcome." 488 00:30:56,760 --> 00:30:58,160 MATEO COUGHS 489 00:30:58,160 --> 00:30:59,240 Thank you, Mateo. 490 00:30:59,240 --> 00:31:00,720 Keep it coming. 491 00:31:02,200 --> 00:31:03,440 Take your leave. 492 00:31:08,640 --> 00:31:13,240 While Philip could only hope and pray, Elizabeth was receiving 493 00:31:13,240 --> 00:31:17,320 regular reports from Admiral Howard on the English fleet. 494 00:31:18,480 --> 00:31:23,080 The latest dispatches took only 12 hours to reach Richmond, 495 00:31:23,080 --> 00:31:26,880 delivered first to Elizabeth's two most trusted ministers - 496 00:31:26,880 --> 00:31:32,320 spy master Sir Francis Walsingham and her treasurer, Lord Burghley. 497 00:31:33,560 --> 00:31:37,240 Burghley was one of Elizabeth's long-serving advisers. 498 00:31:37,240 --> 00:31:42,760 He was sensible, he was pragmatic, he had an eye on finances, 499 00:31:42,760 --> 00:31:45,360 he would try and be cautious. 500 00:31:48,920 --> 00:31:53,360 That is in sharp contrast to Francis Walsingham... 501 00:31:53,360 --> 00:31:55,000 From Howard. 502 00:31:55,000 --> 00:31:59,720 ..who is a charismatic, reckless, rather gung-ho figure. 503 00:31:59,720 --> 00:32:03,480 I mean, he's very much a hawk. He wants confrontation with Spain. 504 00:32:03,480 --> 00:32:06,440 He has been champing at the bit for years, really. 505 00:32:06,440 --> 00:32:08,280 Just past Weymouth. 506 00:32:08,280 --> 00:32:11,440 "Sir, I will not trouble you with any long letter - we are, 507 00:32:11,440 --> 00:32:14,800 "at present, otherwise occupied than writing." 508 00:32:14,800 --> 00:32:17,200 Well, that's good. He's kept his sense of humour. 509 00:32:17,200 --> 00:32:18,880 Do, please, get to the meat... 510 00:32:18,880 --> 00:32:23,040 "At nine of the clock we gave them fight, which continued until one. 511 00:32:23,040 --> 00:32:27,760 "In this fight we made some of them bear room to stop their leaks." 512 00:32:27,760 --> 00:32:31,120 Promising... Thank God they haven't landed. 513 00:32:31,120 --> 00:32:35,400 "Notwithstanding, we dare not adventure to put in among them... 514 00:32:36,600 --> 00:32:38,920 "..their fleet being so strong." 515 00:32:41,720 --> 00:32:44,240 The outlook does not improve, I fear. 516 00:32:44,240 --> 00:32:48,440 "Sir, for the love of God and our country, let us have, 517 00:32:48,440 --> 00:32:55,280 "with some speed, some great shot sent us of all bigness, 518 00:32:55,280 --> 00:32:57,880 "for this service will continue long... 519 00:33:00,640 --> 00:33:03,120 "And some powder with it." 520 00:33:08,840 --> 00:33:12,120 Despite the stocks taken from the Rosario, Howard's reports 521 00:33:12,120 --> 00:33:15,600 continued to plea for more gunpowder and cannonballs. 522 00:33:17,960 --> 00:33:22,960 But Elizabeth was famously mean... and broke. 523 00:33:22,960 --> 00:33:26,560 She and Burghley knew there simply wasn't the money available to 524 00:33:26,560 --> 00:33:29,440 properly defend the nation. 525 00:33:29,440 --> 00:33:32,240 And everyone was aware that the Armada was about to reach 526 00:33:32,240 --> 00:33:34,200 the most vulnerable spot of all... 527 00:33:35,280 --> 00:33:36,520 Gentlemen... 528 00:33:37,880 --> 00:33:39,320 The Isle of Wight. 529 00:33:45,840 --> 00:33:49,000 Today, the Isle of Wight is famous for its sailing. 530 00:33:50,200 --> 00:33:53,760 It shelters the Solent, a straight of water between the island 531 00:33:53,760 --> 00:33:55,320 and mainland England. 532 00:33:56,880 --> 00:34:00,000 Back in 1588, the English feared that the Spanish would 533 00:34:00,000 --> 00:34:04,160 capture the Isle of Wight and anchor the Armada in the Solent. 534 00:34:06,280 --> 00:34:09,600 They worried the island was a defensive weak spot. 535 00:34:15,120 --> 00:34:18,840 First of all, the Isle of Wight wouldn't be able to put up much resistance. 536 00:34:18,840 --> 00:34:21,440 Secondly, it was adjacent to one of the best harbours on 537 00:34:21,440 --> 00:34:23,440 the south coast of England, the Solent, 538 00:34:23,440 --> 00:34:25,440 just tucked in behind the Isle of Wight. 539 00:34:25,440 --> 00:34:28,440 And lastly, it was the perfect place from which to threaten 540 00:34:28,440 --> 00:34:30,960 the rest of the south of England. 541 00:34:30,960 --> 00:34:34,240 There was a very real sense that if the Isle of Wight fell, 542 00:34:34,240 --> 00:34:35,880 so too might the whole kingdom. 543 00:34:39,040 --> 00:34:42,560 Elizabeth had sent 3,000 men to defend the Isle of Wight, 544 00:34:42,560 --> 00:34:45,760 and basic earthworks had been dug to prevent invasion. 545 00:34:48,640 --> 00:34:50,960 But beyond that, its defences were poor. 546 00:34:53,520 --> 00:34:56,080 There were just four cannon on the Isle of Wight 547 00:34:56,080 --> 00:34:58,880 and enough ammunition to last one day. 548 00:34:58,880 --> 00:35:01,240 The defenders were given bows and arrows 549 00:35:01,240 --> 00:35:04,600 to deflect the might of the Spanish Armada. 550 00:35:04,600 --> 00:35:08,520 And much of the money that was sent here to boost the defence was 551 00:35:08,520 --> 00:35:11,760 actually spent on improving and enlarging the governor's castle. 552 00:35:14,120 --> 00:35:17,040 And it wasn't just the Isle of Wight - 553 00:35:17,040 --> 00:35:19,640 the whole of England was pitifully defended. 554 00:35:22,080 --> 00:35:26,000 Elizabeth had no standing army. It cost too much money. 555 00:35:26,000 --> 00:35:32,040 She has to rely on the rather dubious talents of her militia. 556 00:35:32,040 --> 00:35:38,080 Most of them are untrained. Most of them don't have any weapons. 557 00:35:39,240 --> 00:35:43,440 They make Dad's Army look like a finely honed fighting force. 558 00:35:44,600 --> 00:35:48,480 The commander of the Dorset militia believed that his men would 559 00:35:48,480 --> 00:35:51,440 sooner kill each other than kill the Spaniards. 560 00:35:53,000 --> 00:35:57,480 Facing them was the most formidable army in Europe - ferocious, 561 00:35:57,480 --> 00:36:00,960 battle-hardened troops, who had fought for years 562 00:36:00,960 --> 00:36:02,920 and years in Philip's campaign. 563 00:36:02,920 --> 00:36:06,080 There is no doubt whatsoever that had the Spanish army been 564 00:36:06,080 --> 00:36:08,880 able to land on the English coast, they would simply have 565 00:36:08,880 --> 00:36:11,960 overwhelmed Dad's Army and reached London in record time. 566 00:36:15,000 --> 00:36:17,400 Drake and Howard knew that the naval battle for 567 00:36:17,400 --> 00:36:21,320 the Isle of Wight would be a pivotal moment for the future of England. 568 00:36:23,520 --> 00:36:28,160 What little money Elizabeth had to spare, she'd sunk into her navy. 569 00:36:30,440 --> 00:36:34,040 If they failed, there was no second line of defence... 570 00:36:34,040 --> 00:36:35,240 no land army 571 00:36:35,240 --> 00:36:38,280 that could stand in the way of seasoned Spanish troops. 572 00:36:41,320 --> 00:36:45,400 On the third of August 1588, the Spanish Armada was approaching from there, 573 00:36:45,400 --> 00:36:49,040 from the west, and the defence of the Isle of Wight here, and of the whole 574 00:36:49,040 --> 00:36:53,040 of England was pretty much totally in the hands of the Royal Navy. 575 00:36:53,040 --> 00:36:56,880 Now, pressure was on Drake and Howard because, so far, 576 00:36:56,880 --> 00:37:00,600 though there'd been a huge amount of firing, their guns hadn't done 577 00:37:00,600 --> 00:37:02,920 that much damage to the Spanish fleet. 578 00:37:02,920 --> 00:37:04,560 That would have to change. 579 00:37:04,560 --> 00:37:08,400 So, when Drake saw a Spanish ship in difficulty just here off 580 00:37:08,400 --> 00:37:11,240 the Isle of Wight, he decided to close with it 581 00:37:11,240 --> 00:37:13,240 and get some target practice in. 582 00:37:16,120 --> 00:37:17,960 SHOUTS OF INSTRUCTION 583 00:37:17,960 --> 00:37:20,840 Drake knew that to cause real damage in battle, 584 00:37:20,840 --> 00:37:22,800 the English had to get closer... 585 00:37:22,800 --> 00:37:24,280 Ram it home! 586 00:37:24,280 --> 00:37:27,040 ..but if they came too close, there was the danger of being 587 00:37:27,040 --> 00:37:28,360 grappled and boarded. 588 00:37:30,800 --> 00:37:35,480 Drake needed to discover a sweet spot - to be effective, but safe. 589 00:37:36,480 --> 00:37:38,360 Prepare to fire. 590 00:37:40,560 --> 00:37:42,600 Whoa! 591 00:37:42,600 --> 00:37:44,240 Good bang on the cliff, wasn't it? 592 00:37:44,240 --> 00:37:46,640 - That took a piece out of the cliff. - Yeah. 593 00:37:46,640 --> 00:37:50,000 Drake wanted to find out just how effective his cannon would be 594 00:37:50,000 --> 00:37:51,640 at different ranges. 595 00:37:53,240 --> 00:37:55,680 So this is from the period, is it? 596 00:37:55,680 --> 00:38:00,000 It's a replica of an Elizabethan English iron gun. 597 00:38:01,280 --> 00:38:04,000 And it fires about a four- pound ball, 598 00:38:04,000 --> 00:38:08,720 so it's not too difficult a gun to handle but it delivers 599 00:38:08,720 --> 00:38:13,920 a reasonably powerful hit at the target, if you hit the target. 600 00:38:13,920 --> 00:38:16,680 But of course, we've got a stable platform and a stable target. 601 00:38:16,680 --> 00:38:19,040 - Exactly. - Their ships were moving around. 602 00:38:19,040 --> 00:38:20,400 You've hit the nail on the head. 603 00:38:21,400 --> 00:38:23,560 Right, so the gun is loaded. 604 00:38:23,560 --> 00:38:25,000 Right, here we go! 605 00:38:26,000 --> 00:38:29,680 Firing from 200 metres, we're aiming at wood 606 00:38:29,680 --> 00:38:32,800 the same thickness as the hull of a Spanish ship. 607 00:38:32,800 --> 00:38:36,560 Four, three, two, one. 608 00:38:48,400 --> 00:38:51,680 Nowhere near. Well, I'm disappointed about that. 609 00:38:51,680 --> 00:38:54,160 I thought that one was a sure-fire hit. 610 00:38:54,160 --> 00:38:56,680 And I suppose that's what the English felt like in those 611 00:38:56,680 --> 00:38:58,800 first few scuffles with the Armada. 612 00:38:58,800 --> 00:39:01,200 They just weren't doing the damage that they wanted to. 613 00:39:01,200 --> 00:39:05,720 No, no, and with the ships moving it's a very difficult business. 614 00:39:05,720 --> 00:39:08,400 The answer is, of course - get close. 615 00:39:08,400 --> 00:39:09,920 Yes. Let's do it. 616 00:39:14,800 --> 00:39:17,720 Firing at the isolated Spanish ship, 617 00:39:17,720 --> 00:39:20,560 Drake moved in to within 100 metres - 618 00:39:20,560 --> 00:39:24,960 as close as he dared to go without risking being grappled and boarded. 619 00:39:25,960 --> 00:39:28,760 That's it, that's it. That's good. 620 00:39:31,440 --> 00:39:35,400 Now we've halved the distance to that Spanish ship over there. 621 00:39:35,400 --> 00:39:38,480 Now, if that doesn't hit, I'll be very surprised. 622 00:39:40,240 --> 00:39:42,520 Four, three, two, one. 623 00:39:55,960 --> 00:39:58,280 You'd think Tudor weapons are a bit primitive 624 00:39:58,280 --> 00:40:00,240 but there's nothing primitive about that. 625 00:40:00,240 --> 00:40:03,720 - It fired straight and true, didn't it? - Yes. Perfect aim. 626 00:40:05,080 --> 00:40:07,240 It makes a mess of the hull, doesn't it? 627 00:40:07,240 --> 00:40:11,760 Yes, below the water line that would be very, very difficult to repair. 628 00:40:11,760 --> 00:40:15,000 And this is just with a four-pounder. 629 00:40:15,000 --> 00:40:18,720 Drake was firing balls that were up to 15 times as big. 630 00:40:20,320 --> 00:40:23,080 It does show, if you want to hit, you've got to get close. 631 00:40:23,080 --> 00:40:26,360 - You've got to be able to see the whites of their eyes, haven't you? - Yeah. 632 00:40:26,360 --> 00:40:28,200 - Let's do it again. - Yeah. 633 00:40:34,520 --> 00:40:36,920 Drake had learnt a vital lesson... 634 00:40:39,280 --> 00:40:43,800 Just how close he needed to get to be really effective. 635 00:40:48,560 --> 00:40:53,600 The English had faster ships, with cannon that could fire more quickly. 636 00:40:53,600 --> 00:40:57,040 But if they wanted to have any chance of breaking the impregnable force 637 00:40:57,040 --> 00:41:00,640 of the Armada, they'd have to start taking some risks. 638 00:41:03,440 --> 00:41:06,440 With a third battle looming, both Howard and Drake knew that 639 00:41:06,440 --> 00:41:11,200 unless they started firing from closer range, they risked defeat. 640 00:41:16,720 --> 00:41:19,840 BIRDS CAW 641 00:41:19,840 --> 00:41:21,560 Evening... 642 00:41:21,560 --> 00:41:25,720 and the closer the Spanish were, the more afraid Elizabeth was becoming. 643 00:41:27,600 --> 00:41:30,520 Not only did she fear the Armada landing, 644 00:41:30,520 --> 00:41:34,640 but its very presence, visible from the cliffs of southern England, 645 00:41:34,640 --> 00:41:38,960 could be enough to incite a Catholic uprising from within. 646 00:41:41,760 --> 00:41:44,360 The Armada is not the only threat at this point. 647 00:41:44,360 --> 00:41:47,920 There's Catholics within England that are understood to be traitors, 648 00:41:47,920 --> 00:41:50,960 a potential fifth column, and there's been over the 649 00:41:50,960 --> 00:41:54,200 course of the reign, and particularly during the 1580s, 650 00:41:54,200 --> 00:41:55,800 various plots, 651 00:41:55,800 --> 00:41:59,600 various assassination attempts that have sought to kill Elizabeth. 652 00:42:00,680 --> 00:42:02,560 Please, eat... 653 00:42:02,560 --> 00:42:04,760 When it pleases me... 654 00:42:04,760 --> 00:42:08,120 Elizabeth would have felt incredibly precarious at this time. 655 00:42:08,120 --> 00:42:10,640 And she feels almost defenceless. 656 00:42:10,640 --> 00:42:13,360 She knows that at least half the country has remained 657 00:42:13,360 --> 00:42:16,040 faithful to the old Catholic religion. 658 00:42:17,560 --> 00:42:19,760 The threat was all too real. 659 00:42:21,040 --> 00:42:24,480 And it even spread to Elizabeth's inner circle... 660 00:42:24,480 --> 00:42:27,360 with a fear that bordered on paranoia. 661 00:42:28,680 --> 00:42:33,200 There's the constant threat of assassination, of being poisoned. 662 00:42:33,200 --> 00:42:36,560 All her ladies-in-waiting are having to taste her food before it 663 00:42:36,560 --> 00:42:39,480 gets to the royal plate. 664 00:42:39,480 --> 00:42:43,880 Let Bess try, she looks in need of a meal. 665 00:42:45,000 --> 00:42:47,760 Your Majesty, please, forgive me, but... 666 00:42:49,360 --> 00:42:53,240 Bess would have unsettled Elizabeth somewhat, because her cousin 667 00:42:53,240 --> 00:42:58,040 had been involved in a plot, five years before, to assassinate her. 668 00:42:59,320 --> 00:43:04,400 You would do England great service to protect me from assassins. 669 00:43:08,520 --> 00:43:14,040 Do. England. Great. Service. 670 00:43:24,960 --> 00:43:26,200 Chew it. 671 00:43:28,680 --> 00:43:29,840 More. 672 00:43:35,120 --> 00:43:36,720 Now swallow it. 673 00:43:38,200 --> 00:43:39,320 BESS SWALLOWS 674 00:43:45,160 --> 00:43:46,480 The food is unsullied. 675 00:43:48,520 --> 00:43:55,040 If you serve me, you serve God. And he will protect us both. 676 00:44:06,120 --> 00:44:10,000 Almost a whole week since entering the Channel, the Spanish ships still 677 00:44:10,000 --> 00:44:13,680 hadn't established communication with Parma and his army. 678 00:44:18,560 --> 00:44:22,360 And Medina Sidonia was becoming increasingly frustrated. 679 00:44:24,440 --> 00:44:27,440 So far, much to Recalde's irritation, 680 00:44:27,440 --> 00:44:31,440 he'd followed Philip's master plan to the letter. 681 00:44:31,440 --> 00:44:33,840 BOY CHANTS 682 00:44:33,840 --> 00:44:37,760 But now, as his fleet approached the Isle of Wight, Medina Sidonia 683 00:44:37,760 --> 00:44:40,160 was faced with a momentous decision. 684 00:44:41,240 --> 00:44:44,760 To continue to follow his king's orders and trust that word 685 00:44:44,760 --> 00:44:46,920 would come from Parma... 686 00:44:46,920 --> 00:44:50,320 or to follow the advice of Recalde and attack. 687 00:44:53,400 --> 00:44:56,840 Sam, the English have been harrying the Spanish for a week now, 688 00:44:56,840 --> 00:44:58,960 all the while assuming that they are going to try 689 00:44:58,960 --> 00:45:02,400 and take one of these deepwater ports along the south coast of England. 690 00:45:02,400 --> 00:45:05,000 Well, the reality is the Spanish are continuing 691 00:45:05,000 --> 00:45:06,360 with their plan, which is 692 00:45:06,360 --> 00:45:10,600 to link up, of course, link up hands with the Duke of Parma in the Spanish Netherlands. 693 00:45:10,600 --> 00:45:14,440 At this stage, Medina Sidonia decides to try something different. 694 00:45:14,440 --> 00:45:17,600 He actually goes away from his orders and he decides to 695 00:45:17,600 --> 00:45:22,000 anchor his fleet in the Solent, this anchorage behind the Isle of Wight. 696 00:45:23,800 --> 00:45:27,120 It was a major about-face for the Spanish commander. 697 00:45:28,720 --> 00:45:33,000 But Medina Sidonia felt forced to take matters into his own hands - 698 00:45:33,000 --> 00:45:36,880 to capture a safe anchorage from where he could wait for Parma. 699 00:45:37,880 --> 00:45:41,080 It was, though, a massive risk. 700 00:45:44,840 --> 00:45:47,520 I've been sailing in the waters around the Isle of Wight ever 701 00:45:47,520 --> 00:45:52,040 since I was a kid, and I still find them really challenging. 702 00:45:52,040 --> 00:45:55,360 The idea of being here on Medina Sidonia's big, 703 00:45:55,360 --> 00:45:58,760 cumbersome ships without engines, without GPS, 704 00:45:58,760 --> 00:46:01,920 without really proper charts, it's terrifying. 705 00:46:01,920 --> 00:46:06,560 The English, though, they knew this place like the back of their hand. 706 00:46:06,560 --> 00:46:11,360 And they were now going to use their local advantage to maximum effect. 707 00:46:13,560 --> 00:46:14,920 For the very first time, 708 00:46:14,920 --> 00:46:19,000 the English were right about the Spanish Armada's intentions. 709 00:46:20,640 --> 00:46:23,200 Both sides knew what the prize was, 710 00:46:23,200 --> 00:46:26,440 and its importance for the future of England, when, on the morning 711 00:46:26,440 --> 00:46:31,080 of the fourth of August, the battle for the Isle of Wight began. 712 00:46:34,960 --> 00:46:37,640 Armed with Drake's advice to sail closer, 713 00:46:37,640 --> 00:46:41,760 Howard began the attack, driving hard into the heart of the Armada. 714 00:46:45,600 --> 00:46:48,320 It was the first salvo in a desperate attempt to scupper 715 00:46:48,320 --> 00:46:51,160 Medina Sidonia's plan to seize an anchorage. 716 00:46:53,920 --> 00:46:57,360 The way the English combat this new Spanish threat, Sam, 717 00:46:57,360 --> 00:47:00,560 is that Frobisher repeats his Portland Bill trick by putting 718 00:47:00,560 --> 00:47:04,240 himself between the Spaniards and where they want to go, 719 00:47:04,240 --> 00:47:08,080 which, of course, is the Solent, in another difficult tidal seaway. 720 00:47:08,080 --> 00:47:11,560 Medina Sidonia knows this is the crucial moment of the campaign, 721 00:47:11,560 --> 00:47:15,080 so he sends in Recalde to try and fight Frobisher off. 722 00:47:15,080 --> 00:47:18,440 If he can drive Frobisher's squadron clear of the Solent, 723 00:47:18,440 --> 00:47:20,440 the Armada can still get in. 724 00:47:20,440 --> 00:47:23,560 Of course, the English don't just leave it at this one action. 725 00:47:23,560 --> 00:47:27,240 At the same time, they attack from another direction, as well. 726 00:47:27,240 --> 00:47:30,080 You've got Drake closing in, actually closing in a lot 727 00:47:30,080 --> 00:47:32,800 tighter than they have been at some of the previous battles, 728 00:47:32,800 --> 00:47:35,440 for the simple reason that things are now getting desperate. 729 00:47:35,440 --> 00:47:38,240 This could be the key moment of the actual Armada. 730 00:47:41,040 --> 00:47:43,800 The English attacked the Spanish Armada from all sides, 731 00:47:43,800 --> 00:47:47,240 putting enormous pressure on the defensive formation. 732 00:47:47,240 --> 00:47:49,720 They used what they'd learned from Drake about the 733 00:47:49,720 --> 00:47:53,760 optimum distance at which to fire their guns - close enough to do 734 00:47:53,760 --> 00:47:56,400 great damage to the Spanish hulls, but far enough away 735 00:47:56,400 --> 00:48:00,640 to ensure that they didn't get grappled and be forced to fight hand-to-hand. 736 00:48:00,640 --> 00:48:04,160 For the Spanish, it was like being at the centre of a storm. 737 00:48:06,920 --> 00:48:09,200 SHOUTING AND CHEERING 738 00:48:13,760 --> 00:48:15,480 CANNONS ROAR 739 00:48:19,640 --> 00:48:22,000 Let's give it to them, boy! 740 00:48:22,000 --> 00:48:23,480 Fire! 741 00:48:31,440 --> 00:48:35,400 Then, in the heat of battle, the Spanish faced another threat - 742 00:48:35,400 --> 00:48:39,200 the wind and tide started to push them into notoriously 743 00:48:39,200 --> 00:48:40,720 shallow waters... 744 00:48:40,720 --> 00:48:43,680 off the eastern end of the Isle of Wight. 745 00:48:46,400 --> 00:48:49,360 The waters around these shallows are so treacherous that I've had 746 00:48:49,360 --> 00:48:52,760 to transfer from the yacht, with its deeper keel, into this RIB, 747 00:48:52,760 --> 00:48:55,320 which can go into much shallower water. 748 00:48:58,600 --> 00:49:00,960 SHOUTING 749 00:49:05,120 --> 00:49:06,760 SCREAMING 750 00:49:14,400 --> 00:49:18,120 As you can see, in some tidal conditions it's easy for me 751 00:49:18,120 --> 00:49:19,960 to stand out here. 752 00:49:19,960 --> 00:49:22,920 And you can imagine Medina Sidonia's big, 753 00:49:22,920 --> 00:49:26,400 deep-hulled battleships getting up to sandbanks like this. 754 00:49:26,400 --> 00:49:29,080 They'd be wrecked. It would be a catastrophe. 755 00:49:29,080 --> 00:49:30,880 He had no choice but to pull out. 756 00:49:33,840 --> 00:49:38,240 CANNON FIRES THREE TIMES 757 00:49:40,400 --> 00:49:43,440 Medina Sidonia fired his cannon three times, which was 758 00:49:43,440 --> 00:49:46,000 the distinctive signal to disengage. 759 00:49:46,000 --> 00:49:48,760 And so the Spanish ships turned away, 760 00:49:48,760 --> 00:49:52,040 and they started heading off back into the Channel. 761 00:49:52,040 --> 00:49:55,040 The English knew, of course, that this was the crucial moment. 762 00:49:55,040 --> 00:49:58,320 There were cheers on the island, church bells were rung - 763 00:49:58,320 --> 00:50:00,240 the Isle of Wight had been saved. 764 00:50:05,560 --> 00:50:08,960 England's maverick pirate was delivering. 765 00:50:08,960 --> 00:50:11,040 Are we happy? 766 00:50:11,040 --> 00:50:12,360 CHEERING 767 00:50:12,360 --> 00:50:15,480 First, ammunition and intelligence from the Rosario... 768 00:50:15,480 --> 00:50:17,800 Take the dark cargo, too. 769 00:50:17,800 --> 00:50:20,840 ..and then a bold tactic to fire at closer range. 770 00:50:22,200 --> 00:50:23,840 Are you loving this, boys? 771 00:50:24,840 --> 00:50:28,480 For his Spanish counterpart, the experienced Recalde, 772 00:50:28,480 --> 00:50:29,920 things were looking grim. 773 00:50:31,120 --> 00:50:33,800 The Spanish had lost their last chance to win a safe haven 774 00:50:33,800 --> 00:50:37,200 on the English coast... and Medina Sidonia's decision to 775 00:50:37,200 --> 00:50:40,800 pull out of the battle left him incensed. 776 00:50:41,880 --> 00:50:44,800 We were gaining the wind. Closing for the kill! 777 00:50:44,800 --> 00:50:46,560 It is for the best. 778 00:50:46,560 --> 00:50:49,560 We will sail forth and fulfil the King's plan. 779 00:50:49,560 --> 00:50:51,440 If only it were that simple. 780 00:50:53,840 --> 00:50:57,160 Of all Professor Geoffrey Parker's remarkable discoveries, 781 00:50:57,160 --> 00:51:01,880 one of the most precious is a cache of Recalde's letters 782 00:51:01,880 --> 00:51:06,120 and journals, found hidden away in an archive in Madrid. 783 00:51:08,240 --> 00:51:12,920 One journal entry about Medina Sidonia is brutally candid. 784 00:51:14,080 --> 00:51:17,080 He's very explicit. Let me read you what he has to say. 785 00:51:18,400 --> 00:51:22,440 "We should not have desisted, as our flagship did, until we'd 786 00:51:22,440 --> 00:51:26,680 "either made them run aground or else followed them into a port." 787 00:51:26,680 --> 00:51:28,080 This is war, sir. 788 00:51:28,080 --> 00:51:29,480 Orders... 789 00:51:29,480 --> 00:51:31,120 RECALDE SIGHS 790 00:51:31,120 --> 00:51:33,400 It was unwise not to weigh anchor... 791 00:51:33,400 --> 00:51:38,000 "Nor was it wise to sail with our fleet beyond the Solent, 792 00:51:38,000 --> 00:51:40,320 "until we'd heard from the Prince of Parma, 793 00:51:40,320 --> 00:51:43,360 "because that was the best anchorage in the whole Channel." 794 00:51:43,360 --> 00:51:46,040 The King's orders are the King's orders. 795 00:51:46,040 --> 00:51:49,600 I have done my best for the King and for God. 796 00:51:51,360 --> 00:51:54,480 - I can sleep well in my bed. - You are here to lead. 797 00:51:55,800 --> 00:51:57,360 I am here to hand you a victory. 798 00:52:01,640 --> 00:52:05,040 'There's two criticisms, here, of the Duke of Medina Sidonia. 799 00:52:05,040 --> 00:52:09,560 'The first is - we should have fought on when we had a chance, 800 00:52:09,560 --> 00:52:12,160 'and we should never have left the Solent.' 801 00:52:13,240 --> 00:52:16,640 So, Medina Sidonia disregards this advice, 802 00:52:16,640 --> 00:52:18,520 what is going to happen next? 803 00:52:19,760 --> 00:52:22,600 The Armada's now got a bit of problem, it looks to me, Sam. 804 00:52:22,600 --> 00:52:25,040 Because if it continues with its original plan to go to 805 00:52:25,040 --> 00:52:28,280 Margate in Kent, over here, they'd, of course, be sitting ducks 806 00:52:28,280 --> 00:52:31,000 for the English navy, which is still intact. 807 00:52:31,000 --> 00:52:34,800 So the only other option is the Armada goes across to Dunkirk to 808 00:52:34,800 --> 00:52:38,040 join hands, but Dunkirk's harbour is not big enough. 809 00:52:38,040 --> 00:52:42,120 The sea around Dunkirk's not capable of taking this huge fleet, 810 00:52:42,120 --> 00:52:44,400 so what do you do next? 811 00:52:44,400 --> 00:52:47,800 Well, we've certainly got problems but we still have options. 812 00:52:47,800 --> 00:52:50,400 One of the key things to bear in mind after 813 00:52:50,400 --> 00:52:53,320 the Battle of the Solent is that the Armada is also still intact. 814 00:52:53,320 --> 00:52:55,800 They're also in really good formation 815 00:52:55,800 --> 00:52:59,200 and effectively the English haven't really done anything to them at all. 816 00:52:59,200 --> 00:53:02,640 And what we can do now is we can head across the narrow sea 817 00:53:02,640 --> 00:53:03,920 and go to Calais. 818 00:53:03,920 --> 00:53:06,960 Now, Calais is only 21 miles from Parma. 819 00:53:06,960 --> 00:53:09,200 It's still some distance, but it's close enough. 820 00:53:10,560 --> 00:53:14,560 The battle for the Isle of Wight had been a huge turning point. 821 00:53:15,680 --> 00:53:20,200 Medina Sidonia's attempt to secure a safe anchorage had failed. 822 00:53:21,440 --> 00:53:23,880 So he issued a new order... 823 00:53:23,880 --> 00:53:27,360 change direction and sail for Calais. 824 00:53:33,760 --> 00:53:35,240 HORSE NEIGHS 825 00:53:37,600 --> 00:53:40,000 The Spanish were in difficulty. 826 00:53:40,000 --> 00:53:43,400 But news that the Armada was heading towards Calais seemed, 827 00:53:43,400 --> 00:53:46,000 to Elizabeth, to be devastating. 828 00:53:47,520 --> 00:53:51,080 Elizabeth was very conscious of the fact that if the Armada reached the 829 00:53:51,080 --> 00:53:53,960 forces of the Duke of Parma in the Netherlands, 830 00:53:53,960 --> 00:53:56,520 then her reign was over. 831 00:53:56,520 --> 00:53:59,520 A Spanish invasion was inevitable. 832 00:54:00,680 --> 00:54:06,000 She had to do whatever she could to stop the Armada reaching Parma. 833 00:54:06,000 --> 00:54:10,320 Elizabeth must have felt like a gambler who is seeing that the 834 00:54:10,320 --> 00:54:13,160 game of dice is running against them. 835 00:54:13,160 --> 00:54:16,480 She can do very little to influence events. 836 00:54:18,000 --> 00:54:21,440 So far, Elizabeth had allowed her naval commanders to conduct 837 00:54:21,440 --> 00:54:23,720 the war as they saw fit. 838 00:54:25,120 --> 00:54:27,440 Show me what you're working on, Bess. 839 00:54:28,960 --> 00:54:32,280 It is...a dolphin, Your Majesty. 840 00:54:32,280 --> 00:54:37,560 It will bring our great cause the blessing of the seas. 841 00:54:39,760 --> 00:54:44,720 But on Friday the fifth of August, Elizabeth could stand by no longer. 842 00:54:46,000 --> 00:54:49,320 Instead of leaving military decisions entirely to Howard, 843 00:54:49,320 --> 00:54:52,680 she decided to intervene for the first time. 844 00:54:54,480 --> 00:54:57,280 There was an instruction, and here's a copy of it. 845 00:54:57,280 --> 00:55:01,720 An instruction to send musketeers into the English fleet, 846 00:55:01,720 --> 00:55:03,400 to reinforce it. 847 00:55:03,400 --> 00:55:07,080 And this demonstrates her lack of understanding of military affairs. 848 00:55:07,080 --> 00:55:09,120 Because what Howard and Drake 849 00:55:09,120 --> 00:55:13,120 and the other commanders wanted was gunpowder and ammunition. 850 00:55:13,120 --> 00:55:15,840 Not musketeers with their popguns. 851 00:55:15,840 --> 00:55:19,160 That's not the way to land a killer blow on the Armada. 852 00:55:22,480 --> 00:55:25,520 Elizabeth didn't understand naval warfare. 853 00:55:27,760 --> 00:55:30,320 Her order was a sign of simple desperation. 854 00:55:31,840 --> 00:55:35,200 The decree from Elizabeth must have hit Howard like a kick in the guts. 855 00:55:35,200 --> 00:55:36,640 He didn't need more musketeers. 856 00:55:36,640 --> 00:55:40,000 He needed powder and shot for his big guns, as he'd been writing 857 00:55:40,000 --> 00:55:41,440 to London nearly every day. 858 00:55:41,440 --> 00:55:43,880 Now, particularly after the battle at the Isle of Wight, 859 00:55:43,880 --> 00:55:46,600 he was running dangerously low. 860 00:55:46,600 --> 00:55:48,760 But Elizabeth was still too mean 861 00:55:48,760 --> 00:55:51,360 and too broke to give the Navy what it needed. 862 00:56:02,040 --> 00:56:06,440 After two days of sailing across the Channel from the Isle of Wight, 863 00:56:06,440 --> 00:56:10,920 the 123 ships of the Armada anchored off Calais in France. 864 00:56:15,960 --> 00:56:19,880 The English fleet had tracked behind, watching every move, 865 00:56:19,880 --> 00:56:22,800 and was now gathering in the seas to the west. 866 00:56:26,400 --> 00:56:29,840 Despite the English fleet hovering out there, Medina Sidonia 867 00:56:29,840 --> 00:56:33,800 must have been relieved to be here in friendlier waters. 868 00:56:33,800 --> 00:56:36,440 Calais was a solidly Catholic town. 869 00:56:36,440 --> 00:56:39,360 The governor even sent a message of welcome to the Spanish 870 00:56:39,360 --> 00:56:43,480 and offered to sell them much-needed supplies of food and water. 871 00:56:43,480 --> 00:56:49,320 Above all, the vast army of the Duke of Parma was just 21 miles 872 00:56:49,320 --> 00:56:52,800 that way, just up the coast, almost within touching distance. 873 00:56:55,000 --> 00:56:58,000 Just like their queen, Drake and Howard thought that the 874 00:56:58,000 --> 00:57:03,080 Spanish Armada was at last about to "join hands" with Parma's vast army. 875 00:57:04,400 --> 00:57:08,080 And if that happened, it would all be over for the defence of England. 876 00:57:11,560 --> 00:57:15,280 They've been revictualling - bloody French. 877 00:57:15,280 --> 00:57:18,320 It's time for the fox to enter the henhouse... 878 00:57:18,320 --> 00:57:21,200 No more plucking of feathers. 879 00:57:21,200 --> 00:57:24,560 Howard and their men had done everything they could to drive 880 00:57:24,560 --> 00:57:26,720 the Spanish fleet up the Channel, 881 00:57:26,720 --> 00:57:28,880 but now they knew they had to act fast. 882 00:57:28,880 --> 00:57:31,560 There could be no more sitting off from a safe distance 883 00:57:31,560 --> 00:57:33,160 and harrying the Spanish ships. 884 00:57:33,160 --> 00:57:35,760 Instead, they knew they had to press home those attacks 885 00:57:35,760 --> 00:57:38,720 and destroy the Spanish Armada. 886 00:57:38,720 --> 00:57:42,320 The fate of England and Elizabeth was about to be decided once 887 00:57:42,320 --> 00:57:43,800 and for all. 888 00:57:51,240 --> 00:57:53,480 Next time... 889 00:57:53,480 --> 00:57:57,120 England sends in the fire ships... 890 00:57:57,120 --> 00:57:59,920 HE CURSES IN SPANISH 891 00:57:59,920 --> 00:58:01,720 The final battle... 892 00:58:01,720 --> 00:58:03,560 Keep perfect line. 893 00:58:07,040 --> 00:58:09,160 And Elizabeth is transformed... 894 00:58:10,200 --> 00:58:11,920 ..into Gloriana.